Save Article

Investors Take Plunge

Japan's Mrs. Watanabe Decides It's Time to Buy Stocks

By

Kana Inagaki

Updated April 6, 2013 2:30 p.m. ET

TOKYO—As Japanese stocks soared through the early weeks of this year, Hiromichi Kobayashi sat on the sidelines, expecting the inevitable pullback.

In March, the 70-year-old retiree concluded the rally was for real, and jumped in aggressively for the first time since the 2008 financial crisis. Earlier this past week, he took advantage of a market dip in advance of Thursday's Bank of Japan decision: He pulled money out of his bank...